


Dawning Sun

by loveanfriendship



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Family, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:46:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25156456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveanfriendship/pseuds/loveanfriendship
Summary: An insignificant choice led to my death, but I chose, with some uncertainty, to live again. OC-Self Insert.(on hiatus)
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

It's ironic how you never truly realize the moments that really matter.

Those little moments in life that you let slip by without realizing how important they are.

The moments that make life worthwhile as my Uncle always told me. Those moments that consist of; sharing a bowl of ramen with a good friend, watching the stars with my older brother, helping Ino tend her garden, that sort of thing.

My sweetest memories involve helping Ino with her garden in the winter, putting seeds in before the snowfall, then watching the flowers grow in the spring, then partaking of their sweet aroma in the summer. Even though it was always sad to see them wilt away in the autumn, the promise of going through this whole cycle again with her made it all worthwhile.

These were the moments that meant a lot to me. But now I'm actually facing the reality that I could die again.


	2. Chapter One

_The first thing that came to my mind was that I was cold, but there was a warmth shining on my face that warmed my soul. I kept my eyes closed, sighing in delight as the wind blew the leaves around me. I could hear the crickets chirping off in the distance, animals scamping around me while the birds sang their songs._

_I tried to remember when I felt so at peace, but it was like my memories were water. Each time I tried grasping at them, they slipped through my hands, before being soaked up by the ground. Even though I should feel uneasy about that, I was instead starting to love it here._

_All I knew was that I wanted to stay here forever._

_Putting my arms underneath my head, I leaned back, gazing up towards the sky. I smiled, feeling as free as the birds that flew above me._

_Is this Heaven? I wondered, feeling a strange mixture of happiness, regret, and, surprisingly, pain. The elation because this place was serenity...there was no pain, only peace. The regret because I had a feeling that I had left things unfinished. The pain...felt like I had hurt a lot of people. Like they were sad and hurting because of me. My heart throbbed more as feelings of grief and pain became more apparent._

_I sat up straight with a sense of urgency and placed a hand on my heart. A frown replaced my smile. "Why is my heart hurting? Why am I feeling guilty for hurting people I don't know? Why?"_

_As soon as I spoke those words, I started to sense something else. Someone...no multiple people...were trying to pull me into different directions. Then I heard them - muffled voices, comforting, yet I knew that I didn't know them. Some of the voices were pleading, grief-stricken. Others were urging me to come join them in this everlasting peace. But overall, I couldn't make out what any of them exactly wanted from me._

_I wanted to reach out to them all and let them all have a piece of me, but something stopped me from doing so. I shook my head, pulling away from the people. I had no desire to go into the unknown or back to the pain and hurt. I wanted to stay here with the birds, the river, the forest, and the peace. It wasn't as if I knew who I was really._

_I shrugged, letting the peace flow over me again, and determinedly pushed away from the people. I had just settled back into the grass, closing my eyes once more when a voice snagged me out of it._

_"You may like it here for now, but you won't for long. I mean, you don't have anything to call your own here."_

_My eyes snapped open again as I sat up abruptly, instantly wary of the voice that had shattered my peace. I scanned around carefully until my eyes fell upon a young woman, around the age of 17 or 18. She gave me a secretive smile, sitting down next to me cross-legged._

_I didn't know why, but I felt some sort of kinship with her._

_"I don't have anything to call my own?" I questioned in confusion._

_The girl's smile widened, and she sprawled herself next to me, patting the ground in an invitation to join her. Hesitantly, I looked away from the girl's face to her hand. The feeling of kinship grew strong enough for me to trust her and lay down again._

_"Yup. Nothing at all. Right now, you are nothing but a somewhat blank slate. But you can have something to call your own again. You just have to choose which one you really want."_

_To say that my confusion deepened was an understatement. "What do you mean by which one I really want? Am I...did I die?" I asked out of curiosity._

_Another pang of pain shot through my heart, causing me to wince. The girl gave me a sympathetic look and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze._

_"No, you are not dead. But you are close. Very close." She stopped, opening her mouth to say something, but closed it with a sigh and shook her head. The only thing she did was give a small smile before turning her gaze back up to the sky._

_Silence consumed us, but I found it was more comfortable than talking. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the voices and the grief and pain started to become a constant thrum. So was the pulling sensation to choose._

Sunlight trickled through the trees, covering my skin in warmth. Rubbing my eyes with my fist, I blinked sleepily, coming awake to the sounds of laughter. Blinking owlishly, it didn't take me long to realize that the sounds of laughter were coming from Uncle Inoichi and Chōza. I just snuggled deeper into Ino, curled up beside Chōji, with Shikamaru draped over all three of our laps. Honestly, that boy could sleep anywhere without a problem that I envied him sometimes.

Before I could go back to sleep, my attention was caught by a movement just out of my eyesight. I watched in fascination as a butterfly fluttered down onto the flower beside me. Its wings beat slowly, and I lean forward eagerly to get a better look. Only to giggle in delight when I feel the wings brush against my nose. That's one of the things I love about visiting my Uncle's house. There was a serenity to it that made it feel otherworldly to me. Everything from the Nara forest, to the flowers that grew everywhere, to the animals that I love watching.

It was peaceful.

But like everything in life, peace is only temporary.

* * *

Swinging my legs from where I sat on the couch, my head resting against the arm, I watched my brother write something out on the scroll. A few rays of sunshine were trying to peek through curtains and warm up the cold hardwood floors. The window was open slightly, allowing a small cool breeze in, and I could just make out the sounds of people bustling about in the streets.

In the month that Genma had been on his mission, I stayed with Uncle Inoichi and his family. While I loved Uncle Inoichi's openness and peace, I had sorely missed our small apartment. I had missed how quiet it was, how everything was within reach always, and most importantly, I had missed Genma and could just be silent with him.

But as I was watching him work, I remembered something Uncle had told me to ask him.

"Brother?"

"Hm?"

"Uncle said that if it's okay with you, I can join Ino in some of her training. He said it would just be things like stretches and friendly sparring to get us used to the academy spars when we start next year." I told him, sitting up a bit straighter.

Genma only glanced up, his senbon moving from side to side before he said, "I don't mind. Speaking of training, it's time for you to start meditating."

"Mediating?! But why? It's boring!" I whine slightly, slumping against the couch with a pout.

"Ninja's meditate, Kaori," he tells me. "I know that it may seem boring, but there's no way to get around it. You've already started stretching, you know the basics of sparring, and you've managed to grasp how to use Chakra, but to use that Chakra to full capacity, you need to meditate."

"Ugh, fine," I grumble. "I'll try it...but only because I need it. What do I have to do again?"

It was relatively simple. I got comfortable on the ground, trying not to bounce my leg, and rest my hands on my thighs. Closing my eyes, I inhale slowly, exhaling sharply in an attempt to focus on my breathing.

I'm not exactly sure what or how it happened, but one moment I was trying to meditate, then the next, I was back in the place where I've been in my dreams lately.

_I jolted up straight, clutching both hands over my heart as a cry of pain escaped my lips. The sound of glass shattering filled the air; I could hear my best friend's screams of terror as our car flipped over, glass shards flying through the air, some of them cutting us. As the car finally stopped, flipped upside down, I glanced over at my now silent friend, fearing the absolute worst. I could feel everything growing darker, growing colder by the second._

_Shaking on my shoulder caught my attention. Squeezing my eyes tighter, I could only scream as the pain hit me..._ _**mybloodwasspillingithurtithurt** _ _. Then the pain was gone, replaced with the lingering feeling of coldness enveloping me._

_"I don't understand! What was that? Why was I watching that horrible scene? Why?" I begged her._

_"You need to go choose and fast. You don't belong here...not yet and not for a long time," she told me earnestly._

_I had a feeling that this girl hated being serious unless the moment called for it. She continued on, though her features remained kind and understanding. "You need to choose a path. The path that you truly want in the end. There are three paths laid out before you. You can choose to go back, start a new life for a second chance, or move on to somewhere where you aren't ready for just yet."_

_I just stared at her in disbelief at the dismissal of my questions. Doubt was quick to turn to anger. I could feel the anger bubble inside me, wanting to burst out, causing me to snap, "I don't want to leave here! I don't want to remember whatever that was...to not feel anything negative like pain. I feel that if I do remember, then I'll remember something I don't want to."_

"Kaori!"

Fear hit me like a brick wall and I whimpered. Smaller, smaller - I needed to become smaller. I needed to get away from the pain...from this dream. Or was it a dream? Why did it seem so real then? I wasn't sure, but before I could do anything, I was back in the dream world.

_The girl pinched her nose at my answer. I could tell she didn't like it one bit, but I could care less about what she thought. What I had said was the truth: I wanted to stay here. Right here and nowhere else._

_"I know that you don't want to remember. Memories can hurt us pretty badly, but they can also give us great joy. Your time here is running out...you aren't meant for here. You may think you do, but you don't. This the place between life and death...the place where you can choose what you want to do next...and you don't seem to realize how lucky you are. Normally people only get two choices when they visit here...but you... you're getting three. It's why you need to remember...to help you choose what you want." She told me gently, pointing at the three different paths that ventured into the forest._

_"Paths?" I mutter. "Those weren't there before."_

_There were, in fact, three different paths in front of me now. The first was barely alive; the trees were bare except for a few leaves hanging off the branches. The ground was full of tree roots, rocks, and holes that looked to be from wear and tear. There was barely any light filtering through making it look the forest was on its last breath before death. The second path reminded me of the woods in the fall. Colourful leaves piled on the ground, falling gently in an autumn breeze, while sunlight filtered through shining a path that seemed to lead somewhere exotic. The final route was paved with the sun shining fully down onto it. The trees were lush and full of life, while the laughter of people echoed from it in joy and happiness. It brought a warm, content feeling to me._

_"I don't understand. Where did those paths come from? Why are they all so different? What is the point of all this?" I asked in a rush. An urgency filled me suddenly, and it felt like I was slowly slipping away from something important._

_Pointing to the first path, the girl told me, "That is your life now. The one you have just come from. While it was filled with good, the end was rushed and unfair. If you choose this one, then know that you will face a great amount of pain that will possibly lead to a life you wouldn't want."_

_Before I could reply, the girl moved on. "The second path is a second chance. A new chance at life again. You will have to restart over, and it will be difficult for you at times, but it is a second chance. Keep in mind that not many people get the opportunity to have this kind of chance. They normally just move on to the afterlife."_

_Then she turned towards the third path, "And this path leads to the afterlife. It's where everyone goes once, they truly die."_

Then that's when the flashes started. Flashes of an entirely different world; a school, a dog barking, a family, the shops, and a girl. Well, a couple of girls that were older and seemed pretty close. Then a crashing sound, pain and red - so much red - and then the girl was still, and there was even more pain. So much pain that I wanted it to stop. Some of the flashes started to become clear, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop watching them. I was stuck watching the scene fade to black.

Who was I?

Were these memories? They couldn't be memories...that was impossible. And yet, watching the crash over and over again, it hit me.

That was how I had died before. That still didn't explain the dreams though. I was starting to feel like the dreams were actually reality instead. The next dream flowed over me before I could catch my breath and it convinced me of what I already knew deep down.

_"But...how? This isn't possible... it's a dream...right?" I ask, feeling the beginning of a panic attack coming on._

_"It's not a dream and this is possible. There's no time for me to explain really. Just know that right now you have a choice." The girl reassured me. "You can feel them, can't you? The presences from each path?"_

_Shakily, I nod my head, a numb feeling overcoming me as I concentrated on each path. "There's so much sorrow and pain coming from the first path. Yet, I can feel acceptance too. And love so much love for me. The second path... it's warm. So warm and comforting like here. Like I don't have to worry one bit. And the third path...I feel nothing but joy and love... no pain or anything is coming from there. Nothing at all."_

_A genuine laugh escaped the girl, causing me to look back at her in surprise. A bright grin was plastered on her face and she was clapping excitedly, "Yes! Yes! So, which one will you choose, Allie?"_

_As soon as the name was said, it was as if everything cleared. I stumbled back in shock as the memories that had just flowed started to solidify. I could remember everything now. I could remember my past, my old looks, who I was, and how I ended up here._

_A laugh full of disbelief escaped my lips as I stared at myself. I couldn't stop staring at myself, knowing that time was running out, I asked softly, "Why am I here talking to myself?"_

_"To help you choose."_

_Running a hand through my hair, I turned back to look at the paths again. I didn't have much time left to choose before the choice was made for me. "The first path is my old life. As much as I'll miss my family...and despite how much it hurts me to do so...I can't go back. I won't have a life to live if that accident was as bad as it felt."_

_I paused, eyes flickering between the second and third paths before a knowing giggle came from beside me._

_"You've already decided," Allie said gently._

_"I'm not ready to die. I don't want to die. I have so much I want to do...things that need to be done…and choosing death...I won't be able to do anything I truly want." I murmured._

_A hand slipped into mine and Allie gave me an encouraging smile. "Then live your life. Your new life now, I should say. Though I have a couple of things to tell you before you go. One: You won't remember any of this or your old life. Two: you won't be Allie anymore. You will start your life over from the very beginning. You will be a new you. Have fun and good luck!"_

I came back to my senses slowly by something pulling me away from this awful place. My eyes flew open, searching wildly for the thing that had pulled me out of it. I was shaking, my heart pumping wildly in my chest, while my mind raced with all the new information I had rediscovered. The knowledge that I should never have rediscovered in the first place if the dreams were to go by.

"- on! Kaori! Kaori, relax; _breath._ You're okay. You're safe. Just breathe."

_Brother? No..yes...yeah, that's my big brother._

Tears fell from my eyes, and I managed to croak out, "Genma?"

His expression melts into relief, and I can't help but fling myself at him, wrapping my arms around his waist, burying my head into his stomach. Every bit and piece was starting to form a picture in my head.

One: I had been reborn of my own choice.

Two: my brother, Uncle, and cousin were familiar to me, and it wasn't because I grew up with them. I knew them from my past life - one where they were nothing but secondary characters in an _anime_ of all things.

Three: I was royally screwed. My future was going to be a horrible one with having to deal with multiple threats, the village being destroyed, and a war.

I did not want to go to war. I did not want to fight. _I didn't want to be a freaking ninja!_

But I had chosen this new life. While I accepted my fate, that didn't stop me from wailing horribly into Genma's stomach.


End file.
